May 2015

Montgomery County Republican Party

E-Newsletter 

In This Issue

County Executive Committee Meeting May 26

Munch & Mingle at Headquarters Prior to Meeting

Sponsored by County Attorney JD Lambright

 Dr. Wally Wilkerson


 

The 2015 second quarterly meeting of the Montgomery County Republican Party Executive Committee (CEC), which consists of all the current Precinct Chairman, will be held on Tuesday evening, May 26th at 7:30 p.m., in Room 402 of the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building at 501 North Thompson Street in Conroe 77301. A Vacancy Committee meeting will convene at 6:45 p.m. on the same day and at the same location to fill vacancies in Precinct Chair for Voting Precinct #45 and #51 and any vacancies that may occur prior to the meeting. A Munch & Mingle Social sponsored by County Attorney JD Lambright will begin at 5:30 p.m., prior to the Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, in the County Republican Headquarters located at 310 Metcalf (formerly Collins) Street in Conroe 77301-2856. Light refreshments will be served.

 

The CEC will hear a report from the Vacancy Committee. The Treasurer will present the Finance Report and the Finance Co-Chair Jymme Gomez or Rob Eissler will present a report on the status of the plans for the Party's fall fundraiser. The Leadership & Organization Committee Chairman Dr. Jim Schulze will report on the April 28th Committee meeting which heard a presentation on a Social Media Program for 2016 along with a progress report on the development of other voter contact programs. Community Engagement Committee Chairman Karen Darcey-Pawlak will report on the Committee's progress and work in the Conroe KidzFest, Conroe Hispanic Task Force Cinco de Mayo Celebration and the Deerwood Subdivision Festival. A number of 2016 candidates will be introduced.

 

 

  Party Growth on the East Side
PARTY ADDS TO ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS


 

The Republican Party is proud to announce the organization of the fifth Republican Women's group, the East Montgomery County Republican Women and the first High School Republican Club in a number of years, the Willis High School Republicans. Special thanks are due President Elizabeth Harrell and the nucleus of east county women who are responsible for EMCRW and to Jennifer Robin and the Willis High School teachers who were willing to be sponsors of High School Republicans. Our goal is to add a sixth Republican Women group in the Magnolia area and ultimately a High School Republican club in each of the County's High Schools. "Accomplishing these laudable goals would complete the building of a dominant political Party from the bottom up," County Chairman Dr. Wally Wilkerson said.

                                   

Wilkerson recalled the 1960s when the Democrat Party was dominant in Texas and Montgomery County. Republican U. S. Senator John G. Tower, who won a surprising victory in the 1961 special election to replace Democrat Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson who was elected in 1964 along with President John F. Kennedy, was widely believed to face a tough re-election campaign in 1966. "Most Republican strategists urged all County Chairmen to forego fielding local candidates for fear of 'stirring up the Democrats'. But Montgomery County Republicans had a different opinion.  We believed a political party was built from the bottom up, not the top down," according to Wilkerson, who had become County Chairman in 1964.

 

Acting contrary to the prevailing strategy, the Montgomery County Republicans recruited three county-wide and one precinct candidates who would appear on the ballot with Senator Tower in 1966. Surprising many, they each received almost 30% of the vote. Tower would be the sole Republican officeholder to serve Montgomery County until 1978 when Republican William P. Clements was elected Governor and Republican Pat Ruffin was elected Justice of the Peace in Precinct #3 of Montgomery County. By 1988 the Republican Party had become the majority Party in the County.

 

 

Presidential Election          

"DON'T MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT 2016"

-David Brooks

  

The above headline of an op-ed piece by New York Times columnist David Brooks recently appeared in the Houston Chronicle. His surprising conclusions are well worth reviewing. Brooks wrote: "Like a lot of people who pay attention to such things, I had assumed that Democrats had a huge advantage going into next year's presidential race.....But there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that, in fact, Democrats do not enter this election with an advantage." The following is a summary:

  • According to the National Journal, high-immigrant "red" states like Texas, Georgia & Arizona were supposed to turn "purple" but since 1992 Democrat presidential nominees have averaged only 40.4 % in Texas, 44.5% in Georgia and 43.7% in Arizona. Instead of becoming "purple" these states have become "redder".

  • Nationally, aging of the electorate is partially canceling diversification of the electorate. People tend to get more Republican with aging.

  • In swing states like Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania which have generally gone Democrat in presidential years, it is hard to miss the impact of the growing Republican strength at every level of government. The National Journal noted the 42-18 Republican advantage in U. S. House of Representative seats as an example of this strength along with the control of all but one of the governorships and control of both State House and Senate in every state except for the Senate in Iowa.

  • "Democrats continue to lose support among the white working-class. In 2008, Obama carried 40% of white voters with a high school degree. By 2012, that was down to 36%. As John Judis points out in a National Journal piece called 'The Emerging Republican Advantage', the tilt of the white working-class to the GOP has been even more pronounced in other races. In 2006, Democrats got 44% of the white working-class vote in U. S. House of Representatives races. By 2014 they got only 34%. In 2009, Republicans had a 20-seat advantage in House Districts that were majority white working-class. Today, they have a 125 -seat advantage."

  • "Most surprising, Democrats are doing worse among college-educated voters....And, most significant, there are signs that Hispanic voters, at least in the Sun Belt states, are getting more Republican as they move up the education ladder."

  • Polls show that faith in big government is at an all time low. Voters believe government is bloated and ineffective. This bad news for Democrats, the party of big government.

  • "When many voters think of economic dynamism, they think of places like Texas, the top job producer in the nation over the past decade, and, especially places like Houston, a low regulation, a low cost of living place. In places like Wisconsin, voters in the middle-class private sector support candidates who cut state pensions and pass right-to-work laws, so that economic governance can be more Texas-style."

  • "Political guru Charlie Cook asks: 'Will this be a Time for Change election or will this be Changing American Demographics election? I suspect it will be a Time for Change election. The crucial swing voters will be white and Hispanic college graduates in suburban office parks".


 

Community Engagement           
Cinco de Mayo
  
Members of the Community Engagement Committee and other volunteers made our Cinco de Mayo Celebration involvement a wonderful success and an example for all future events. Many thanks to Karen Darcy-Pawlak, Chairman of the Committee, Gary Henson, Jr., Marisa Rummell, Joan Martin, Landon Estay, Sarah Reardon, Julie Faubel and your County Chairman for sacrificing their Sunday afternoon to make our Cinco de Mayo involvement a positive one for our Party.

 


 

  

Our deputy voter registrars registered new voters, mostly young people, and we discussed how to become U. S. citizens with a number of attendees. Hundreds of American flags, an equal number of flyers comparing Democrat and Republican positions on important issues and Declaration of Independence and Constitution booklets were distributed.

 

Texas Independence        

THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO

 


 
THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO is a highlight of Texas history. The events leading to the battle in April 1836 began with the arrival of General Sam Houston at Gonzales on March 11 according to historian H. M. Henderson. He wrote of the 42-day campaign: "It is one of the finest examples in history where one man pitted his will against that of the mob, and, although the loser on several occasions, finally won out." Houston led the untrained mob-like army and most of the areas civilian inhabitants in a retreat from Mexican General Santa Anna's 'ISIS-like' Army eastward toward the Sabine River, called the Run-away Scrape.


 

The Army camped along Spring Creek, the boundary between Harris/Montgomery Counties just days before the Battle. The Battle for Texas's Independence on April 21 lasted only 18 minutes, with 8 Texans killed and 25 wounded, one being Sam Houston, who received credit for the victory. He became Governor of the independent nation of Texas and in 1845, the State of Texas.

 

 

 

Donations Help Keep Montgomery County Red
Your financial donation to the local Republican Party does the following:

 

  • Helps maintain marketing and all services of the County Headquarters
  • Helps finance purchase of materials, supplies, equipment and major services
  • Helps maintain computerized voter list of Get-Out-the-Vote program
  • Helps strengthen and expand our Precinct and neighborhood organization
  • Helps expand outreach program to minorities and independents
We have three membership programs to choose from.
  • Sustaining Membership Program
  • Republican Roundtable
  • Business Council 

Click here for more information about joining!

 

Volunteer!

We love our volunteers!
The Republican Party is always looking for volunteers. There are lots of ways you can help.
Calendar of Events


 

Many fun and important activities are on the horizon! Republican Womens' clubs are having great speakers at their monthly meetings. Young Republicans and Teenage Republicans are making plans. Elected officials and candidates for the 2016 elections are having fundraisers. And more!